Preakness Stakes 2019: Bodexpress becomes race's hero for competing without a jockey

Tom Gatto

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Preakness Stakes 2019: Bodexpress becomes race's hero for competing without a jockey image

For a lot of casual horse racing fans, the narrative of the 2019 Preakness Stakes won't be a tale of redemption — War of Will's victory after Kentucky Derby heartbreak — but rather a liberation story — of the horse that threw off its rider.

The horse, Bodexpress, bucked in the starting gate at the beginning of Saturday's Triple Crown race at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez fell to the dirt (Velazquez told NBC Sports after the race he was unhurt). Such an accident is not all that uncommon at racetracks, as thoroughbred horses can be temperamental.

With 126 pounds of Velazquez off his back, the 3-year-old Bodexpress set off to join the other 12 horses in the 1 3/16-mile race. He stayed wide, so he didn't interfere with other horses and jockeys. It almost looked like a professional courtesy.

MORE: Order of finish for the 2019 Preakness

Admit it: Your eyes were glued to the horse without a jockey. 

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Those who were watching it unfold live were equally shocked, amazed and amused:

To be clear, Bodexpress was disqualified the moment he unseated Velazquez, so there was zero chance of him strutting into the winner's circle. That's OK; he's still a winner in lots of people's minds.

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.